Log in

Crime

Father of teen who died at West Allis store says U.S. to investigate

Craig Stingley, the father of Corey Stingley, criticizes the investigation of his son’s death by District Attorney John Chisholm during a news conference asking for justice for Corey Stingley and the firing ofChisholm.

"This is a national issue of no justice for African-Americans," said Stingley, who said the case echoed other cases of mistreatment against young black men.

He also said he will not rule out a lawsuit against those involved in his son's death.

"We will pursue every option available to us," Stingley said after a news conference at the Center Street Library, where supporters demanded Chisholm be fired and hinted at a recall attempt.

Stingley, a 16-year-old student at Nathan Hale High School in West Allis, died of positional asphyxia Dec. 29, 2012.

Positional asphyxia is the inability to breathe because of the position of the body and can be caused by physical restraint.

The teenager was confronted and restrained by the three men Dec. 14, 2012, at VJ's Food Mart, 9206 W. Schlinger Ave., where he attempted to steal alcoholic beverages.

After handing his debit card to a clerk for an energy drink, the clerk told the youth he would not call police if Stingley gave up the beverages he had placed in his backpack.

Surveillance video shows Stingley grabbing his debit card and attempting to run as the clerk is retrieving the items from the backpack.

The video then shows Stingley being grabbed by Jesse Cole, Robert Berringer and Mario Lauman and struggling with the three men before all four go out of camera view.

According to West Allis police, when a police officer arrived, Stingley was being restrained by the men. The officer handcuffed Stingley briefly but then realized he wasn't breathing.

The handcuffs were removed and CPR was given before Stingley was taken to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa.

He never regained consciousness, and his family removed him from life support.

"These three men choked the life out of this young man," Craig Stingley told supporters who packed a conference room at the library Wednesday.

Chisholm concluded that Cole, Berringer and Lauman had no intent to harm Stingley when they restrained him and that there wasn't sufficient evidence to prove the three were aware their actions created a substantial and unreasonable risk of great bodily harm.

Craig Stingley called Chisholm's investigation a "travesty."

"We tried to allow the system to do what it was put in place to do," he said. "It makes no logical sense."

Stingley admitted his son was trying to shoplift, characterizing the teen as "a kid who was entitled to make a mistake like all of us."

But he also said the actions of Cole, Berringer and Lauman went far beyond restraint.